Beautiful shots of a beautiful piece of disappearing craftsmanship. Seeing Duck's shot of the craftsman etching crystal reminds me that growing up in New York City there were department stores, probably Saks and Wanamaker's but maybe "lesser" names as well (Macy doesn't talk to Gimbel) where you could buy fine lead crystal and have it monogrammed or whatever while you watched them do it! I was maybe 6 or so, standing on tiptoe behind a glass shield watching them twist and turn the object against the diamond wheel with the water jet keeping things cool so the glass wouldn't shatter.

Thanks Chuck. We saw some glassblowing when we visited our son and daughter in law in VT and went to the Simon Pearce foundry there. No etching, however. Amazing to watch them twist and roll the vase or bottle till it was just so, then take a bade and slice at just the right point for an elegant neck. We went into the shop and bought a "second." We couldn't tell the difference. Matt

Thanks Chuck. We saw some glassblowing when we visited our son and daughter in law in VT and went to the Simon Pearce foundry there. No etching, however. Amazing to watch them twist and roll the vase or bottle till it was just so, then take a bade and slice at just the right point for an elegant neck. We went into the shop and bought a "second." We couldn't tell the difference. Matt

We always loved to watch skilled craftspeople work their magic. We visited the workrooms at Redwing Pottery in Redwing, Minnesota once and watched the whole process, but the best part was a single potter throwing the same pot, on a wheel, one after another, all exactly alike except not somehow. For small stuff they used a casting process but anything with any heft is still thrown by hand on a wheel. Wow.

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The founding principles of photoMENTORIS is to have a place where professional and enthusiast photographers could come and meet in order to teach, share and learn from each other. It is our goal to foster this principle in an atmosphere that encourages creativity and exploration and promotes the advancement of our art through peer mentoring and supportive critique, while having fun along the way.